“Show me a college student that doesn’t want a career plan when they graduate; that sense of purpose that we’re all longing for.”
That’s Dr. Dana Hebreard with Grand Valley State University’s college of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Center for Experiential Learning. She oversees the Laker Accelerated Talent Link which is bringing students together with West Michigan companies in a way that enhances student internships like never before.
“It’s really a vision of President Mantella who had the foresight to design this pipeline program, connecting students with those high demand, high need areas in the region.”
Dr. Hebreard says there are currently five inaugural employer partnerships. They include: Acrisure, Amway, Cascade Engineering, Corewell Health and Michigan Software Labs.
“And they all had internship opportunities in areas like applied data analytics and project management. Those areas all connect to certifications that we have at Grand Valley State University.”
In a nutshell, Talent Link offers a win-win for students and employer. Learning opportunities, pathways to employment and certification on top of the degree. Combined, allows students to hit the ground running once employed.
Senior Students taking part in this program will begin their internships in January. Upon graduation there’s a good chance they could be hired. Dr. Hebreard says the initial cohort that kicked off in the fall has 21 students. The goal for next year is 100 students with an expanded group of employers.
Students can find more information at gvsu.edu\latl
